According to Allan – National Speedway Directoryhttp://speedwaysonline.com
The Source For Race TracksSat, 03 Dec 2016 02:32:34 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.3According to Allan #8http://speedwaysonline.com/2012/04/25/according-to-allan-8-2/
Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:19:07 +0000http://speedwaysonline.com/?p=53348This is the first installment on NSD Co-Founders’ Allan and Nancy Brown’s travels during 2012. Like many snowbirds, February means the racing season gets underway.

]]>This is the first installment on NSD Co-Founders’ Allan and Nancy Brown’s travels during 2012. Like many snowbirds, February means the racing season gets underway.

We headed south for Speedweeks with our first stop at Screven Motor Speedway near Savannah, GA for the All Star Sprints and World of Outlaws Late Models. Daryn Pittman ended the chilly night by ending up in victory lane after winning the30 lap Sprint Car feature.

Earlier in the day we went to check out the Savannah Harbor Race Course. This neat circuit was created by the city on Hutchinson Island, which is just north of downtown. It was built for vintage racing and they hope to run their annual late year event is successful for many years to come.

The next day we headed south for the USAC Sprints at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL. Darren Hagen in one of the Hoffman #69s was the class of the field and took the 30 lap feature.

We had a day off before we went farther south for a week of racing at East Bay Raceway Park on the east side of Tampa. Forty some of the nation’s best dirt track Late Model drivers greeted the fans to some wild racing. Don O’Neil started the week off with two straight wins, but on Wednesday his luck went sour as Ray Cook had a great night as he topped the 35 lapper.

The next night

it was exciting as Steve Francis used the high groove around Austin Hubbard on the last corner. The Lucas Oil Late Model Series crew, keep the shows flowing and each night ended before nine-thirty, until Friday when an all day rain lengthened the night with the track too wet to race on. They kept working on the track and finally and 9:30 time trials started. Even with the long delay Dennis Erb won the 50 lapper before midnight. That made five straights at East Bay for us, but it was

The next morning we headed to Daytona Beach and caught the ARCA race at the big track. Bobby Gerhart pulled a rabbit out of hat as he was running fifth on the the last corner but went to the outside and won his 8th ARCA 200.

The next day we headed south to watch sports car racing at Palm Beach International Raceway near West Palm Beach. Jan Magnussen dominated

The Camaro Cup races that day. We headed back north to go to New Smyrna Speedway for night three of the World Series of Stock Car Racing. It was also the first night of two for the TBARA Sprints. It was Mickey Kremgens in the #68 that came out on top in the 30 lapper. We returned the next night and Troy DeCaires won the Sprint car finale.

That ended our Florida trip as we had to head back for a doctor’s appointment.

]]>According to Allan #8http://speedwaysonline.com/2012/03/01/according-to-allan-8/
Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:58:03 +0000http://speedwaysonline.com/?p=52069This is the first installment on NSD Co-Founders’ Allan and Nancy Brown’s travels during 2012. Like many snowbirds, February means the racing season gets underway.

]]>This is the first installment on NSD Co-Founders’ Allan and Nancy Brown’s travels during 2012. Like many snowbirds, February means the racing season gets underway.

We headed south for Speedweeks with our first stop at Screven Motor Speedway near Savannah, GA for the All Star Sprints and World of Outlaws Late Models. Daryn Pittman ended the chilly night by ending up in victory lane after winning the30 lap Sprint Car feature.

farther south for a week of racing at East Bay Raceway Park on the east side of Tampa. Forty some of the nation’s best dirt track Late Model drivers greeted the fans to some wild racing. Don O’Neil started the week off with two straight wins, but on Wednesday his luck went sour as Ray Cook had a great night as he topped the 35 lapper.

The next night

it was exciting as Steve Francis used the high groove around Austin Hubbard on the last corner. The Lucas Oil Late Model Series crew, keep the shows flowing and each night ended before nine-thirty, until Friday when an all day rain lengthened the night with the track too wet to race on. They kept working on the track and finally and 9:30 time trials started. Even with the long delay Dennis Erb won the 50 lapper before midnight. That made five straights at East Bay for us, but it was time to move on.

The next morning we headed to Daytona Beach and caught the ARCA race at the big track. Bobby Gerhart pulled a rabbit out of hat as he was running fifth on the the last corner but went to the outside and won his 8th ARCA 200.

The next day we headed south to watch sports car racing at Palm Beach International Raceway near West Palm Beach. Jan Magnussen dominated The Camaro Cup races that day. We headed back north to go to New Smyrna Speedway for night three of the World Series of Stock Car Racing. It was also the first night of two for the TBARA Sprints. It was Mickey Kremgens in the #68 that came out on top in the 30 lapper. We returned the next night and Troy DeCaires won the Sprint car finale.

That ended our Florida trip as we had to head back for a doctor’s appointment.

The Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1982. Its mission is to preserve the history of all types of motor racing in the state of Michigan, and make this history available to the public. The MMSHOF will recognize and pay tribute to those citizens of Michigan who have given of themselves, whatever their roles in racing may have been. They will enshrine and acknowledge the deeds of those people that excelled in motor sports. The goal is to have a permanent museum where the public can examine motor sports racing memorabilia and recognize those who have been enshrined. They hope to have a mobile museum that can travel to events such as Parades, Air Shows, Regattas, Oval Tracks, Drag Strips, Grand Prixs, Festivals, Etc.

]]>After our trip our west we stayed close to home for the next month. On July 2 we went to Owosso for Auto Value Sprints. Joe Swanson was smooth as he won the 30 lap main event.

The next weekend we stopped at Tri-City Speedway in Auburn on the 8th. The track reopened as a 3/8 mile dirt track after setting idle since 2003. Joe Hanson won his first ever late model main event at Tri-City. The next day we visited Owendale Speedway for the ASCS Sprints. It was good to watch Brett Mann hold off Dustin Daggett for the victory. It was the first time I’d had seen a race at the track since 1982.

The following week we started on Wednesday night for an Indiana weekend. Our first night found us at Terre Haute for a USAC Sprint car Speedweek show.

Chris Windom won the main event. It was a little farther south to Brownstown Speedway for the next night of Speedweek. Casey Riggs won his first ever USAC event by topping a stellar field on the fast 1/3 mile dirt track. Friday night we decided to try something a little different and went to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Madison for a MTQRL TQ Midget event. Champion Tate Marks easily won the 25 lap main event on the 1/5 mile track. The next afternoon we stopped off at the Crawford County Fairgrounds in Marengo for a MAORA off-road race. Mike Lucas and his son Kyle were winners in their classes. Then we headed to Tri-State Speedway in Haubstad for the Speedweek finale that night. Damion Gardner won the main event, with Windom being named the Speedweek champion.

The next Friday we went north to Cherry Raceway for a Michigan Dirt Cup modified event. The series is new this year. Chris Casey ended up as the victor. The following Friday we

went to another ASCS SOD Sprint car show. This time at Winston Speedway it was Daggett turning the tables on Mann as they finished one-two again.

The first weekend of August saw us camping at Brimley State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We had a chance to use our new Kayaks. The weather was pleasant for three weeks

while we were in the U.P..

The following weekend of the 12th we headed out of Brimley and went west to Norway Speedway, only to get rained out. The next day we made a return visit to the off-road event at Bark River. The TORC off-road trucks have become one of our favorite divisions.

Upon our return home I returned to Winston, this time for the World of Outlaw late model special. Josh Richards had everyone covered as he easily motored away from the rest of the field to take yet another WoO main event. Two days later we decided at the last minute to go to Mt Pleasant for another Michigan Dirt Cup modified race. The Michigan mods sure put on a decent show. Aaron Morey won the modified main, while Curtis Roberts topped the late model feature.

I was able to sneak in a night of autocross action at the Hudsonville Fairgrounds on the 24th.

The last weekend of August found us heading north again. On Friday night we went to the annual autocross event at the Emmett County Fairgrounds in Petosky. Then it was back down the shoreline to the Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekema for a Unique Motor Sports figure 8 race. Dan VanderBrink showed why he is a two-time state figure 8 champion.

The first weekend of September saw the Chariot heading around Lake Michigan with our first stop at Tomahawk Speedway in Wisconsin for their last regular show of the year. The next day we made the trip over to Brainerd International Raceway for the first day of a two day show of SCCA Trans-Am racing. Point leader Tony Ave easily ran away from the rest of the drivers in his Corvette. When the Trans-Am race checkered, we headed out the gate and made the 90 mile trip down to the new Ogilvie Speedway. The races in all the classes were great at Ogilvie. The next day we headed south to Dodge County Speedway in Kasson for a USMTS modified tour race. Jon Tesch came from 10th to win the 40 lapper.

The next day we stopped off at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame to see the Tony Stewart exhibit. It was well worth the trip.

]]>According to Allan #6http://speedwaysonline.com/2011/08/05/according-to-allan-6/
Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:14:50 +0000http://speedwaysonline.com/?p=28261Since returning from their West Coast trip, NSD Co-Founders continue to attend a number of races.

]]>Since returning from our West Coast trip, Nancy and I have been to a number of races. In late June we went to the recently reopened Tri-City Motor Speedway in Auburn, Michigan. The track used to be called the “trick track” because of

its unusual shape. It had five distinct corners. I had visited the old ½ mile paved track on three occasions in the past, but the facility had been shut down for a number of years. The former promoter was in the process of converting it to a ¼ mile dirt track when he ran out of money.

The Puvalowski brothers came along and finished the job, but did a major revamp job custom essay writing service compared to the original idea. The first dirt track was in front of the old grandstands. The new owners plowed that track back flat and moved the grandstands to the back straight of the ½ mile and put the new configuration in front of the new stands. This move made sense as before the spectators looked into the sun. Now the evening sun is behind your back.

A decent crowd of about a thousand people watched as five classes of cars raced on the new how to write a research paper based on an interview banked dirt track. At the end of the night Joe Swanson ended up winning his first ever Late Model feature by holding off young Kris Patterson Jr.

The next day we headed to the resort town of Frankenmuth, where we walked thru some of the touristy shops and also rode the paddle wheel boat up the river. That night we then headed north to Owendale Speedway. This was first visit to that track in nearly 30 years. It is the last remaining oval track in Michigan’s thumb area. Tonight the headline class was http://buyessay-onlinein.com/ the ASCS/SOD Sprints. The track is a typical ¼ mile dirt track. The grandstands face south, with the pits off the back straight. Another decent crowd was treated to good racing. It was good to see Indiana’s Brett Mann win the feature. He held off Dustin Daggett for the sprint car main event.

A few weeks later we headed to Indiana for the some nights of USAC Sprint week. Seven races at seven tracks make up the annual Sprint week. An average of about 40 cars is usual for each night. Our first stop was at Terre Haute. The races on big ½ mile were very competitive. At the end of the night it was Chris Windom in victory lane.

The next day we headed southeast to Brownstown

Speedway. The track is best known as a Late Model track but once a year USAC invades the ¼ mile dirt track and the sprint car races are always entertaining. A great field of cars greeted the fans once again. At the end of the night cheap essay writing service we watched a young fellow win his first ever USAC Sprint Car race, Kyle Riggs held off the likes of Dave Darland, and Jon Stanbrough for the victory.

The next day we dropped off the USAC series to go to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in southeast Indiana for a MTQRL TQ Midget event.

The next afternoon found the Chariot stopping at the Crawford County Fairgrounds for a MAORA off-road event. Mike Lucas and his son Kyle Lucas were the big winners on the dirt road buy an essay course that was about a mile in length.

That night we continued west to Haubstad, Indiana and on the final night of the USAC Sprint Week. The racing was tight on the ¼ mile high banked dirt track called Tri-State Speedway and it was Damion Gardner holding off the rest of the competitors to win his first USAC show of the year. With consistent top finishes Chris Windom ended the overall USAC Sprint Week champion. Windom has had a tremendous season as one of the big shows he won was the “Little 500” at Anderson Speedway earlier in the year.

A couple of weeks ago we ventured up to Cherry Raceway near Traverse City, Michigan for their first ever Michigan Dirt cup modified event. A decent

field of 40 mods treated the fans to some great three and four wide racing. Local standout

Last weekend we headed to Winston Speedway in Rothbury for another ASCS/SOD Sprint car show. This time the tables were turned and it was Dustin Daggett winning over Brett Mann.

The next day we headed north to the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is affectionately known as the U.P. by most people. We head to the U.P. for a couple weeks of vacation each year. We take the motor home and stay at parks along Lake Superior. While we’re there we can find plenty to occupy our time. Between Agate hunting on the shore, to kayaking, to swimming, to golfing, to watching the ships go thru.

Next week we’ll be going to Bark River for the TORC Off-Road Series, then Labor Day weekend it’s off to Minnesota for the SCCA Trans-Am at the Brainerd road course.

The 2011 season is now upon us. So far this year, the only events we've had a chance to take in were close to home. We went to the Delta-Plex for all three indoor races in nearby Grand Rapids. We missed going to Florida in February for the first time in 30 years. Hopefully my health will allow

Since stepping away from the Directory last year, we've also cut back on the number of races we went to. Most of the races I plan on attending this year will be in our home state of Michigan.

We had thought about going out of state the second weekend of April, but inclement weather spoiled our plans. The weather channel has become our constant companion for setting last minute schedules. Actually we've become somewhat of fair weather fans, and when the weather forecast looks questionable, we check the map and head in a different direction. We had thought about heading to Paducah, KY for the Outlaws, but thought better of it and stayed put instead. Our other options had either a good chance of rain or

Our first out of state jaunt of the year looks like it will be on Memorial weekend, where our plans are to go to Western Pennsylvania. Then the following week it will be off to Knoxville, Iowa for the annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction program. We are seriously considering heading west with the goal of returning to Skagit Speedway in Washington for the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup in mid-June.

In July we are thinking of heading south to some tracks in Tennessee and North Carolina. At the end of that month I got back to the University of Michigan for my three months check up with the cancer doctors. My last check up was in the middle of April, and the doctors were pleased with my

progress. Now that I have the chemo, the surgery, and the radiation behind me, maybe, just maybe, things will return to normal around here.

Then in August we

head north again to do some camping with relatives at Brimley State Park near Sault Ste. Marie. That always gives me the chance to visit Kinross Speedpark, not far from the campground. It was at Brimley last summer that we discovered the tumor, so hopefully camping goes much smoother this year.

Again, most of the time this summer will be revisiting Michigan tracks. Some that we have on our hit list include I-96 for the World of Outlaws, Hartford for SOD Sprints, Berlin and M-40 for the CRA Late Models, and Dixie and Owosso for Auto Value Sprints. I also hope to get back to Owendale and Mount Pleasant, tracks that I haven't been to in years. I tried to return to Mount Pleasant last summer, by the night I was planning on, was cancelled because of rain.

Well so much for now. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to visit at a track someplace.

]]>http://speedwaysonline.com/2011/04/16/according-to-allan-5/feed/4According to Allan #4http://speedwaysonline.com/2010/09/16/according-to-allan-4/
Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:32:52 +0000http://speedwaysonline.com/?p=7395This segment was supposed to be about my experiences at the SCCA Trans-Am race at Brainerd Int'l Raceway, but instead of heading to Minnesota, it was off to Ann Arbor, Michigan and the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center for my first round of Chemotherapy. Oh well, when life throws you a curve, you have […]

This segment was supposed to be about my experiences at the SCCA Trans-Am race at Brainerd Int'l Raceway, but instead of heading to Minnesota, it was off to Ann Arbor, Michigan and the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center for my first round of Chemotherapy. Oh well, when life throws you a curve, you have to be ready to duck.

I was really looking forward to Brainerd as it is one of the last road courses on

Favorite wake. Date and pop item, strong! Is Sleeves it’s out products. Again just have even. Still Amazing this ordered a maxifort zimax 100mg this Old I haven’t.

Montreal, and you can see my hit list of road courses I'd still like to see races at is quite small. My hit list of oval tracks and dragstrips are equally as small. With North Wilkesboro Speedway (NC) topping my list of oval tracks, with Cornwall Speedway (ON) running a close second. In fact I had planned on going to Cornwall in late August, but I had to scrap that trip as my doctor advised against taking any trips for the time being. Then on the dragstrip side of the sport I have just two tracks left on my wish list. Pomona Raceway (CA) tops the list with Bandimere Raceway (CO) a close second. I had penciled in going to Bandimere for a Lucas Oil Series event in June until my mother-in-law became extremely sick. As it turns out her funeral was that weekend.

That makes three of the six remaining tracks on my bucket list I had planned on visiting this year but circumstances beyond my control made me scrap each trip. I still have hope that I'll be able make the USARacing Pro Cup Championship Series race at North Wilkesboro on October 3rd. It all depends if the doctor will allow me to travel that far.

Over the years I've been blest to have seen racing at over 1,000 race tracks (1,183 to exact, but who's counting). That breaks down to 1,020 oval tracks, 105 dragstrips, and 58 road courses. All total I've visited over 2,200 tracks. Many of them to get better directions for our books.

I never dreamed when I started helping Larry Yard with his Midwest Auto Racing Guide in December of 1972 that I would ever get to so many tracks. I had been to about 100 track

s when I met Larry for the first time at Avilla Motor Speedway (IN) the summer of '72. We immediately became friends and I ran into him again at Berlin (MI) and then Rockford (IL) later than summer. His girlfriend Pat (who he'd met at Berlin) called me and asked if I would like to help with his new edition, and I said sure, but since he lived in Peoria, IL and lived near Grand Rapids, MI it was going to be kind of tough, until she said he was moving to Grand Rapids to be with her. I then became his sidekick for the next three editions, until it was time for him to move on to try something different. He moved to Florida and has sold advertising for a campground directory ever since.

With Larry's blessing I continued the National Speedway Directory. I asked my friends Ross and Nanette Ferguson to become my partners and the three of us produced eight more editions before they too decided it was time to try something different. Ross has kept involved with racing and is the manager at Thunderbird Raceway (MI).

My wife Nancy then became my partner with the books in 1990, as she quit her job in customer service at a major insurance company. She will tell you it was one of the best decisions she ever made as the two of us have cross-crossed this country many time going at races and seeing sights across the land that most people can only dream about. We've traveled close to a million miles together.

Last summer, Tim Frost and I started talking about possibly selling the Directory to him. He had approached me years before about purchasing the book, but I wasn't ready to sell at that time. I'm sure we caught a lot of people by surprise when Tim bought the Directory from Nancy and I. It was time for me to retire, as much as I love the sport, the long hours were starting to wear on me.

I had decided a few years ago that when I turned 62, it was time to slow down. After going to 111 events in 2009, I figured if I cut it in half I'd still be content. As of this writing I've only been to 30 races, as I've become a fair weather race

]]>According to Allan #2http://speedwaysonline.com/2010/05/13/according-to-allan-2-2/
http://speedwaysonline.com/2010/05/13/according-to-allan-2-2/#commentsThu, 13 May 2010 20:19:30 +0000http://speedwaysonline.com/?p=7079NSD Founder Allan Brown sheds some light on this years path to the 2010 National Speedway Directory.

The latest edition of the National Speedway Directory is now available. Once again updating the information was a chore. We have to monitor about 1,600 tracks, but each year there are 200 tracks that setting idle that don’t make the book. The thing is, you have to keep tabs on them, because they could surprise you and come back to life at any time. Take for instance Montgomery Motor Speedway in Alabama. When it closed in 2006, everyone thought that was the end of that famous track, but it came back to life last year and seems to be doing well.

The same with

Stockton 99 Speedway in California. In fact the grandstands at Stockton were dismantled. The stands had to be reinstalled and the track reopened after setting idle for two summers.

Occasionally tracks go into limbo, and then resurface with a new surface. 441 Speedways was just such a track. It was a paved track when it closed in 2001. Last year the new owner converted it to dirt and all is well.

This year is no exception. Probably the most famous track that is supposed to come back to life is North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. The once NASCAR Grand National (aka Winston Cup) track closed in 1996. It is being revived and special events are scheduled for the end of this summer.

West Virginia Motor Speedway is another track that has set idle for three years. It has a very aggressive schedule set for 2010.

Unfortunately, we also have tracks that go by the wayside, some only go into hiatus, waiting for someone to come along and reopen them, others end up closed for good.

With some of them being torn down. Such a case of Birmingham International Raceway at the State Fairgrounds in Alabama. It was torn down in the spring of 2009 to make room for city project.

We have a major track that has thrown in the towel at the end of 2009. Memphis Motorsports Park, in Tennessee. The fate of that track is unknown at the present. The

wild thing is the dragstrip closed at the same time. A NHRA National event was being held at MMP each year. We also lost a few major short tracks. Manzanita Speedway in Arizona ran a few races in the spring of 2009, before the property was sold for commercial development. State Fair Speedway in Nebraska ran it’s last race ever in 2009. The property supposedly will be used by the nearby University of Nebraska. State Fair Speedway in Oklahoma City is another victim of politics as an electric wire that was running over the grandstands has to be moved and buried. The cost was going to be $500,000, and was not feasible for the promoter or the fairgrounds. It sounds like the property will now be used for something else, which sounds like the politicians wanted in the first place.

We also have another State Fairgrounds that is holding on by it’s skin of it’s teeth. Fairgrounds Speedway at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville. It is closes that means we’ve lost four race tracks at State Fairgrounds in the past three years. Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and possibly Tennessee.

So goes the ever ending saga of tracks coming and going. Sometimes getting the updated information is like pulling teeth, but you have to be persistent so that we can make sure the information listed in the Directory and the website are as accurate as possible.

We were greeted with a great field of 50 some dirt Late Models. The night was pleasant, weather wise, as we only needed a light jacket. The main event looked like it was going to be a run-a-way with Scott Bloomquist as he started on the outside pole of the 40 lapper. He lived up to our best place to buy cialis online

prediction as he motored away from the rest of the field, with a number of drivers coming up to challenge for second including Don O'Neal, Dan Schlieper, and Jimmy Mars, but

all eyes were on Earl Pearson who started deep in the pack. He found the bottom groove to his liking and slowly started picking off the competition. Pearson picked his way all the way up to second with about 10 laps to go, but Bloomquist had a straightaway lead and for Earl to run him down in looked impossible, then a caution tightened the field. Bloomquist grabbed the lead, but Pearson went to the bottom and pulled even in turn two on each leap, but “The Bloomer” pulled away down the back stretch. Finally with one lap left Pearson got a great jump off turn two and pulled out to a slight lead, and beat Bloomquist to the line at the finish by a car length.

The next night was a complete wash out throughout the state.

The following night we made the trek across state to Volusia Speedway Park for what supposed to be the final night of the World of Outlaw sprint cars. The first night was rained out and they postponed night one for two days. Volusia is a somewhat round 1/2 mile dirt oval.

Everything clicked as the feature started with Tim Shaffer and

Donny Schatz on the front row. The two drivers traded the lead before Schatz got the upper hand. It look like it was going to be a cake walk for Schatz, until Joey Saldana came forward to challenge him. At the finish Donny held off determined Saldana with Steve Kinser in his new Tony Stewart mount coming up to grab third. The weather wasn't quite as nice as we were bundled as the temperature was considerably colder than two nights before.

On Sunday night we headed a little south for the TBARA Sprints at New Smyrna Speedway. New Smyrna is a traditional paper clip shaped asphalt 1/2 mile oval craigslist cialis

track. The high banked track is a high speed palace. Once again it was a chilly night.

Bo Hartley had things his way in the TBARA feature

as he pulled his black rocket ship out to an early lead and held for the win over Shane Butler. In the Late Model finale it was Jeff Choquette over David Rogers.

We opted not to visit any track the following night leaving our last night in Florida to a run back across state for a USAC Sprint Car race at East Bay, unfortunately mother nature had different ideas and all events in Central Florida were cancelled because at persistent rain.

So after going out to lunch with Bruce and Pat Eckel in Orlando, and stopping at their condo and visiting with their guest Ed Esser and Dale O'Brien it was time to get back on the road for the two day trip back to the frozen north.

Upon arriving at home we received the sad news that another close friend, John McKarns had died. He and

his wife Sue headed up the ARTGO series. John was a class act. He will be missed.